NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC (11-8-6, 39 points) fell 3-0 to first-place Nashville SC (17-3-6, 57 points) Saturday night at GEODIS Park.
Chicago remains in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings behind Charlotte FC, whom they will face next weekend at Bank of America Stadium. Nashville maintains its position at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings and became the first team to qualify for Audio MLS Cup Playoffs 2026.
The teams entered the locker room at halftime with the hosts leading 1-0 with a goal from Sam Surridge in the 33rd minute. Cristian Espinoza added a second in minute 78, and Hany Mukhtar closed out the scoring with a third and final goal in the 87th minute.
Georgian international Anzor Mekvabishvili made his MLS debut with the Men in Red, coming on in the 75th minute for Sergio Oregel Jr.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago concludes a two-game road trip in North Carolina, taking on Charlotte FC in a Walmart Soccer Showdown match on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT at Bank of America Stadium. The match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on wlsam.com in English and TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.
Match Notes:
- Following the match against Nashville, Noah Allen (Greece U-21), Chris Brady (USA), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Georgia), Puso Dithejane (South Africa), Robert Lewandowski (Poland) and Robin Lod (Finland) will join their respective national teams for the September and October FIFA international window.
- Defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Lower Body) and midfielders André Franco (Lower Body) and Anton Salétros (Lower Body) were unavailable for selection tonight.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Box Score:
Nashville SC 3:0 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
NSH - Surridge (16) (Baker-Whiting 4, Corcoran 3) (WATCH) 33’
NSH - Espinoza (4) (Nájar 8) (WATCH) 78’
NSH - Mukhtar (11) (Espinoza 12) (WATCH) 87’
Discipline:
NSH - Mukhtar (Caution) 36’
CHI - Elliott (Caution) 57’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean (Gómez, 79’), D Elliott (capt.), D Allen, D Gutman, M D’Avilla (Pineda, 78’), M Oregel Jr. (M Mekvabishvili, 75’), M Zinckernagel, M Haile-Selassie (Dithejane, 68’), F Lewandowski, F Lod (Bamba, 68’)
Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Barroso, D Rogers, M Poreba
Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Nashville SC: GK Schwake, D Nájar (D Lovitz, 83’), D Woledzi, D Palacios, D Baker-Whiting, M Yazbek (M Tagseth, 83’), M Corcoran, M Saad (F Mohammed, 68’), F Espinoza (Bauer, 90+1), F Surridge, F Mukhtar (capt.) (Muyl, 90+1)
Subs not used: GK Willis, D Maher, M Acosta, F Qasem
Head Coach: B.J. Callaghan
Stats Summary: NSH / CHI
Shots: 13 / 9
Shots on Goal: 5 / 1
Saves: 1 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 89.5% / 87.1%
Corners: 5 / 2
Fouls: 12 / 9
Offsides: 4 / 2
Possession: 57.4% / 42.6%
Venue: GEODIS Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
Attendance: 25,521
Referee: Lorenzo Hernandez
Assistant Referees: Jose Da Silva, Felisha Mariscal
Fourth Official: Calin Radosav
VAR: Timothy Ford
AVAR: Robert Schaap
